Delirium vs. Dementia

Dementia is an irreversible state of cognitive impairment and short term memory loss related to organic brain disease most commonly Alzheimer's disease or multiple cerebral infarcts. Delirium is a state of cognitive impairment and confusion usually of recent onset related to another illness. There may also be clouding of consciousness. Delirium is an organic mental disorder that causes confusion, disorientation, and memory loss. It is different than dementia in that is causes a change in level of consciousness; sufferers are not as alert, can be drowsy, semi-comatose, or comatose. The delirious person also can have difficulty with attention, may be agitated and be hallucinating. Symptoms occur rapidly - not over a long period of time. There is usually a marked changed in a person relatively quickly. Delirium can be caused by a medical problem: congestive heart failure, urinary tract infection, liver failure, and drug or alcohol abuse. People with delirium need immediate medical attention. Delirium is often caused by changes in the chemical transmitter between the nerves, called acetylcholine. Even medications can cause this to happen. Delirium symptoms also fluctuate throughout a day. It is most important to emphasize that delirium is a sudden onset, unlike dementia which comes on more slowly. The risk of delirium increases for people who are demented, dehydrated, and taking drugs that affect the nervous system. Sometimes there are no disruptive features, just a withdrawal which makes it easy to miss. Not all dementias are of the slow onset type like Alzheimer's type dementia (although this is the most common form of dementia and IS slow-onset by definition). Dementia may have an rapid onset, e.g., with stroke. However, dementia is sustained whereas delirium is typically an acute and fluctuating state. The key difference between dementia and delirium is that delirium includes an altered/fluctuating level of consciousness, whereas...

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...Dementia is the umbrella term for a number of conditions which cause damage to the brain cells. The most common form is Alzheimer’s disease which has a gradual progression. The next most common type is vascular dementia which has a step-like progression. About one in four people with Parkinson’s disease also develop dementia. Short-term memory loss, disorientation and loss of concentration are common symptoms.
There are other less common types of dementia such as Lewy Body dementia and Frontol Temporal dementias (including Picks Disease) which affect the parts of the brain which control social behaviour.
Whatever type of dementia the person has, it eventually affects their ability to absorb, understand and remember information; to weigh up options and make reasoned judgements; and protect their own interests.If the person makes a decision about something with which you disagree or think is unusual, you need to decide whether or not they are at undue risk or if it really matters and why.behaviour becomes challenging and they are putting themselves or you at risk of harm, you should ask for specialist dementia advice either through your GP or direct to the health care professional, usually a specialist nurse or consultant, who already has the care of the person.
Local authorities have a responsibility to assess community care and support needs of both the person...

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Alzheimer’s Dementia
Alzheimer's disease is a progressive brain disorder that damages and eventually destroys brain cells, leading to memory loss and changes in thinking and other brain functions. It usually develops slowly and gradually gets worse as more brain cells wither and die. Ultimately, Alzheimer's is fatal, and currently, there is no cure. Alzheimer's disease is the most common type of dementia, a general term used to describe various diseases and conditions that damage brain cells. Alzheimer's disease accounts for 50 to 80 percent of dementia cases . Given the advancing age of the baby boom generation, by 2050, 14 million older Americans and 81 million adults worldwide are expected to have the disease.
The classic neuropathological signs of Alzheimer’s disease are amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. Plaques consist largely of the protein fragment beta-amyloid. This fragment is produced from a parent molecule called amyloid precursor protein . Tangles consist of tau, a protein normally involved in maintaining the internal structure of the nerve cell. While tau is normally modified by phosphorylation, or the attachment of phosphate molecules, excessive phosphorylation appears to contribute to tangle formation and prevents the protein from carrying out its normal functions . Oxidative stress, or damage to cellular structures by toxic oxygen molecules called free radicals, is also...

...Dementia awaress essay
1.The word dementia describes a set of symptoms that may include memory loss and difficulties with thinking, problem-solving or language. Dementia is caused when the brain is damaged by diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease or a series of strokes.The term ‘dementia’ is often misunderstood and some people use the terms ‘senile’, ‘dementia’ and ‘Alzheimer’s’ interchangeably, thinking that they are one and the same thing.
2.Key functions of the brain that are affected by dementia.The brain, along with the spinal cord, makes up the central nervous system, and it is this that controls all of our body’s functions. The brain is made up of cells an within the brain there are billions of nerve cells that are known as neurons. These neurons communicate with each other and with other parts of the body by sending messages (impulses) via a system of nerve pathways.
Chemical and electrical signals are necessary in controlling bodily functions ie language, decision-making, memory, personality, behavior, sensing and interpreting our environment, and controlling muscle movements. If the neurons and synapses of the brain become damaged by dementia they may have difficulty or be unable to carry the messages that tell the sections of the brain what to do. Depending on the area of the brain affected, this can result in changes to the way the individual thinks, or may result in...

...Types of Dementia
Alzheimer’s Disease
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia; accounts for 60 to 80 percent of cases. Difficulty remembering names and recent events is often an early clinical symptom; later symptoms include impaired judgment, disorientation, confusion, behavior changes and trouble speaking, swallowing and walking. Hallmark abnormalities are deposits of the protein fragment beta-amyloid (plaques) and twisted strands of the protein tau (tangles).
Vascular Dementia
Vascular Dementia is considered to be the second-most-common type of dementia. Impairment is caused by decreased blood flow to parts of the brain, often due to a series of small strokes that block arteries. Symptoms often overlap with those of Alzheimer’s, although memory may not be as seriously affected.
Pick's Disease
Pick's disease is a relatively rare form of dementia that causes a slow shrinking of brain cells due to excess protein build-up. Patients with Pick’s initially exhibit marked personality and behavioral changes, and then a decline in the ability to speak coherently.
Dementia with Lewy Bodies
Dementia with Lewy bodies is a progressive disease. This...

...begins gradually: silent, like an animal stalking its night-time prey, it takes hold of its victim, and worsens with time.” (Buijssen,p15)
Dementia is a ‘clinical syndrome characterized by loss of function in multiple cognitive abilities in an individual with previously normal intellectual abilities.’(Clare, p5) While dementia is a worldwide problem that has no cure, very few people recognize and understand the four major forms of it. The most common forms of dementia are
Vascular dementia, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, and Alzheimers disease.
Vascular dementia is a decline in thinking skills caused by conditions that block or reduce blood flow to the brain, which deprives brain cells of vital oxygen and nutrients(Buijssen,p16). Without the proper amount of blood flow, cells throughout the entire body will become damaged or die. Vascular dementia makes up 30% to 50% of dementia cases (Clare, p6). One form of vascular dementia is called ‘Multi-infarct dementia’, otherwise known as a mini-stroke. A stroke is when there is no blood flow to the brain. It results in a sudden blockage or often a rupture of a blood vessel in the brain (Innes,p47). The medical term for mini-stokes is transient ischemic attack (Innes, 47). Another form of vascular disease is called ‘Binswanger’s Disease’ also known as subcortical vascular...

...PAYAL SHAH
DEM 301 UNDERSTAND THE PROCESS AND EXPERIENCE OF DEMENTIA
WHAT ARE CAUSES AND SYMPTOMS OF DEMENTIA
Alzheimer's disease – The possible risk factors are increasing age, possible genetic link, being female and Down's syndrome.
Symptoms: word finding problems, forgetting how to do everyday activities, confusion, forgetting names of people, places and appointments , mood swings and withdrawn.
Vascular dementia – possible risk factors lifestyle( lack of exercise, too much alcohol, smoking and eating fatty diet) medical or family history (BP, high cholesterol) and ethnic back ground
Symptoms: problems concentrating and communicating, depression, symptoms of stroke such as weakness or paralysis, epileptic seizures periods of acute confusion
Lewy body disease - Increasing age
Symptoms: symptoms of Alzheimer's and Parkinsons diseases- problems with attention and alertness , spatial disorientation, difficulty in planning and co-ordinating mental activities, trembling, shuffling, visual hallucinations , fall asleep very easily by day, faint, fall or have funny turn, abilities fluctuate daily or even hourly.
TYPES OF MEMORY IMPAIRMENT EXPERIENCED BY PEOPLE WITH DEMENTIA
short term and long term memory loss
not able to express themselves in words
not able to concentrate on things
not able to reason or understand the information
not able to get dressed properly
unable...

...March 23, 2011
Psychology paper: Dementia
The subject of a brain deteriorating disease is one we often avoid. Considering the fact that it is possible for a loved one to be a victim of a memory captivation is unbearable. Dementia is a term used to describe a group of symptoms caused by disorders that affect the brain, not so much a specific disease. People affected by dementia are disabled to the point where they may not be able to get dressed or eat. They have a total lack of problem solving and the ability to control emotions, they are intellectually impaired, and their personality is completely robbed from them. (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/dementia.html) Dementia is a mental deterioration. It is defined as a progressive decline in cognitive function due to damage or disease in the brain beyond what might be expected from normal aging. Areas particularly affected include memory, attention, judgment, language and problem solving, madness or insanity. Although memory loss is a common and major symptom of dementia, it does not mean memory loss by itself defines the disease. (http://scmd.stanford.edu/whatisdementia.html) Dementia can be caused by many disorders, including neurodegenerative diseases. This is where large numbers of neurons in the brain stop functioning and die from losing connections with other neurons. An example of this disease would be Alzheimer’s....

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DementiaDementia
The word Dementia describes a set of symptoms that may include memory loss, and difficulties with thinking, problem solving or language.
Dementia is caused when the brain is damaged by diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease or a series of strokes.
Dementia is progressive, meaning that the symptoms will gradually get worse.
Dependent on which part of the brain is affected a person will present differently.
Area of the Brain Key Functions that could be affected
Frontal Lobe Movement, emotional behaviour,
Personality, Interpretation and feelings.
Parietal Lobe Language, Spatial Awareness and
Recognition.
Temporal Lobe Long term memory, Speech and Hearing
Occipital Lobe Vision
Cerebellum Balance, Posture, Muscle Coordination
(Movement)
Hypothalamus Regulates Thirst, Appetite and Body
Temperature, Sleep Cycles and Patterns
Of sleep.
Thalamus Muscle Movement, and Processing
Sensory Information.
Hippocampus Processes Recent Memories into Stored
Memory
Limbic System Emotions and Smell.
Depression, Delirium and age-related memory impairment can all be mistake for Dementia, as any or all can be present in a person suffering from Dementia. If a person start to display signs of cognitive impairment it is important not to assume it is Dementia, as there...